naming apples

Ike Kerschner in Pennsylvania has developed (cross bred) an apple he's going to call Ludricrisp. I trust you can follow that play on words. The naming of modern apples has degenerated to "sweet that" and "this crisp" as university-level breeders ignore all aspects of place, lore, and even love of language. I have named one apple Bonkers. An upcoming release will be called Red Delirious. I have my customers taste and suggest names, then go from there. This one will be a deliberate shot across the bow of insipidness. Then there's a young friend in Maine who has named a wild bittersweet that he's now propagating Venereal Disease just to add to labeling intrigue. Eric Shatt of Redbyrd Cider in New York has named another wild bittersweet Gnarled Chapman in a tribute to Johnny Appleseed. You get the idea. Naming new apple cultivars can be really fun.

I like to go by the American Pomological Society's nomenclature rules in which almost no university follows.

Rule 1: No two varieties of the same kind of fruit shall bear the same name. The name first published for a variety shall be the accepted and recognized name, except in cases where it has been applied in violation of this code.Rule 2: The name of a variety of fruit shall consist of a single word.a. no variety should be named unless distinctly superior to existing varieties in some important characteristic, nor until it has been determined to perpetuate it by bud propogation.b. In selecting names for varieties, the following points should be emphasized: Distinctiveness, simplicity, ease of pronunciation and spelling, indication of origin or parentage.c. A variety imported from a foreign country should retain it's foreign name, subject to change if it is unintelligible English.d. The name of a person should not be applied to a variety without his/her consent.e. The use of such general terms as seedling, hybrid, pippin, permain, beurre, rare-ripe, damson, etc. is not admissible.f. The use of a possessive noun as a name is not admissible.g. The use of a number is as a name is not admissible unless associated as a numbered seedling.Rule 3: No properly published variety name shall be changed for any reason unless it conflicts with this code, nor shall another variety be substituted for that originally described thereunder.